COLUMBIA, S.C. — President Donald Trump again won the state of South Carolina, maintaining his solid support in the state during his first term.
Trump defeated Democratic nominee Joe Biden to win the state’s nine electoral votes.
Trump won South Carolina handily in 2016, getting 55% of votes cast to Hillary Clinton’s 41%, and the state had been assumed to be safely in his 2020 win column. Its early primary status makes the state a must-stop destination for both Republicans and Democrats, but South Carolina has rarely seen much in terms of general election campaigning in recent years.
Biden’s victory in the Feb. 29 South Carolina primary started a wave of wins that helped cement his status as the Democrats’ nominee. South Carolina Republicans opted not to hold a primary, an early sign of their support for Trump’s reelection.
The administration did participate by proxy in several of the state’s down-ballot races, endorsing U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s reelection and the campaign of Republican Nancy Mace in the 1st District congressional race.
South Carolina hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter’s 1976 campaign.